


The World Is An Imperfect Place

by VanillaPudding



Series: And I'll Only Be Young Once [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Carmen Anthony - Freeform, Delia Miller - Freeform, F/F, Gale Sundae - Freeform, Missy Laurence - Freeform, Peony Wilson - Freeform, Piper Anderson - Freeform, Tate Bacchus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 22:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19385953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaPudding/pseuds/VanillaPudding
Summary: Missy gets unfortunate news.





	The World Is An Imperfect Place

**Author's Note:**

> every part of this series will be a line from a famous 80s or 90s movie

It took two full lunch and homeroom periods to collect my noteworthy certificates and assignments but I now have a hefty folder that I am bringing to Mrs. Sundae for approval. I designed it to match my personality to add a bit more of a personal flair that should set me apart from other applicants. I mean, would anybody else hand in a color-coded 90s themed binder full of scrapbook looking notations and edits? I don’t think so. Just in case there’s somebody as creative and organized as me I also included a disk with videos of me giving speeches, leading pep rallies, and conducting an interview for a freshman psychology class assignment on the correlation between body language and social anxiety. It may or may not be seen by anybody but it’s quite impressive. On the off chance somebody decides to check it out, I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Before class starts, I enter Mrs. Sundae’s office confidently and sit down to speak with her. First I hand over my submission then I wait while she glances over it. She sets it in front of her computer and turns back to me happily. “That looks amazing Missy. I’m going to give that to Miss Bacchus directly and sing my praises to her. You’ll be a shoo-in.” Hearing that from her sets my expectations higher than before. I leave her office without a doubt in my mind that I’ll get in. Once that’s official all I have to do is tell my teammates that my second in command will have to step up as captain while I spend my time putting my brilliance to good use.

Piper is the first to find out before I have the chance to bring it up. “You look excited. What’s going on?” She urges at lunch that day. I don’t want to jinx my chances but all of the girls are interested in hearing and Mrs. Sundae practically gave me the spot already. “If you all must know, I applied for this business thing,” I explain frankly simplifying it to not make a big deal. “I didn’t know you wanted to go into business.” Carmen teases lightly. Peony saves my ass by cutting her off “Duh; why do you think she’s so good at bossing us around? She’s practicing for when she’s CEO of some posh company in New York.” Before I know it they all seem on board with the idea, even the part where they have to start listening to Delia whenever I can’t make it to practice. 

After school Mrs. Sundae finds me on my way to the gym for practice. She tells me that she and Miss Bacchus looked over my files while they were at lunch and that Miss Bacchus would like to meet with me tonight. First I thank her for backing me up then I go to practice to tell my team I can’t make it. After a short walk home I find nobody’s home yet so I go freshen up. I spend an unusual amount of time picking out an outfit that ends up worth it in the end. I stand in front of my door mirror looking at the crème blouse and peach slacks I have on. I don’t like to do boring so the shirt is ruffled a bit and the pants have sheer vertical stripes. I look like a chic sorority pirate if I do say so myself. The ensemble is okay until I slip on the most badass pair of studded black pumps then suddenly I find my appearance all the more daring.

Three hours after the fact I leave a note and a voicemail for my parents telling them I’m catching a cab to an interview of sorts. I head to the address Mrs. Sundae gave me and I’m a bit anxious to see that it is a restaurant. I take a moment to gather my bearings before I strut inside telling myself over and over again that there’s nothing to worry about. The hostess asks me how many she’ll be seating and I respond that I’m meeting someone. She picks her head up to address me with far more interest than before asking, “Miss Laurence?” to which I nod. She immediately gathers herself to guide me gracefully to the seating area. “Miss Bacchus is waiting right this way.” Her voice has gone much more nasally now that she’s faking her enthusiasm. I don’t mind though: I wouldn’t care much for that job either until someone important showed up. 

We reach the table and the hostess leaves tentatively. Miss Bacchus stands from her seat and shakes my hand firmly. I can’t contain my impression at this point and speak up as we settle in at the table “It’s so nice to meet you, Miss Bacchus, I’ve heard such great things.” And I’m embarrassed by how much of a kiss ass I sound like but she takes my enthusiasm in stride. “I could say the same for you, Miss Laurence. Gale went on and on about what a great student you are.” I must have a deer in the headlights look because she notes my confusion. “I mean Mrs. Sundae, sorry. I’ve known her since college so it’s hard to refer to her so informally sometimes.”  
“I understand.”  
“Oh and I’m sorry about the circumstance, this was the only hour I had available today besides lunch and I don’t care to miss a meal for a meeting, no offense.”  
“Oh none taken I wouldn’t skip food for fodder either.” She chuckles quietly into her menu at that, taking any of my residing tension away.

The salad comes and goes quickly while talking to her; she lets me talk for so long I stop paying attention to where the conversation has gone. She listens as I tell her about my involvements at school as well as my extracurriculars. She doesn’t seem bored by it even though she changes the subject “Missy, I wanted to speak with you because you strike me as an extraordinary young woman. I need to know if there’s a place for someone like you at the Foundation.” My heart beats faster at her compliment, my mind fills with ways to thank her, but my mouth is much faster on the draw. “I can bet that there is. I have excellent leadership skills and taking on responsibility has never been a problem for me. Plus you could probably tell how dedicated I am to detail.” I mention as I point to my outfit. She laughs airily and pours herself a glass of wine. “I did notice that you have an exceptional eye. That quality will serve you well anywhere you land.” I’m not sure she notices that all of the praise is going to my head and I find it hard not to let myself become cockier as we carry on.

She asks me to talk a lot about myself which I find easy. It’s almost as easy as listening when she tells me things about her. Miss Tate is a very interesting woman, no doubt. Not only is she wildly successful in her business endeavors; she’s also an artist as well as a supporter of the arts, a budding film critic, and a big-time family gal. Those were just the tip of the iceberg but I thought those stood out the most on her personal resume compared to the reputation that precedes her. My favorite confession of hers was that she loves to collect as many shot glasses as stuffed animals. I also enjoyed her anecdotes from her cheer days that I found surprising but fitting. She has a small body, a cute face, and a killer personality so why not? I’m having an absolute blast exchanging words with her plus this grilled chicken is to die for. My sparkling cider washes it down so nicely too. Before I can even consider checking the time Miss Tate is ordering the final course. All I’m saying is that it’s impossible to update your parents on your whereabouts when you’re busy tasting Italian ladyfingers for the first time.

Near the last few bites of tiramisu Miss Bacchus gets back to business, speaking seriously despite her endearing fondness for her dessert, “Missy, you are clearly a smart capable girl. I’m going to be honest with you and say that I’ve already chosen someone for the position.” My chest aches in the middle of a bite that I force down my throat so I can ask, “Then why did you want to see me?” I try not to sound upset but my voice cracks a little bit as I think of how I had my heart set on this. She rests her spoon on the empty dessert plate, the ease of its pose matching that of her body language. “I had a feeling you’d be someone I was interested in having on my team in the near future.” She says this so evenly like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. I look away from her nearly distraught in thought of how she could be so offhand about this; my future. 

I take another sip of my sparkling cider to stall for another second giving me enough time to wipe the pitiful look off my face. When I set the glass down I look to her courteously. “Well thank you for considering me,” I say just as professionally as she had been all night. She waves me off with a genuine smile that makes my stomach drop a little. Her smile is unwavering, dimples daring to pop out momentarily before she’s swallowing the last of her wine and they’re no longer visible. I search for them again as a distraction when she opens her mouth again. “Of course Miss Laurence, keep up the good work, it’s about to pay off.” Even though it sounds like she truly means it I can’t think optimistically at the moment.

Then she stands from the table and shakes my hands. I go along mindless to what I’m actually doing. I mirror her when she says it was nice meeting me. I nod when she says she looks forward to having me as an acquaintance. I can’t believe I didn’t get it. The chatter in my head starts escalating out of my control. I leave the restaurant thinking what the other candidate could possibly have over me. When I get home I tell my parents that I don’t want to talk about it and I go upstairs to start getting ready for bed. I’m not as energetic or enthused as I was all week. All I want to do is forget I even tried. I’ll get over it eventually. For now, I’m pretty bummed out. I really was looking forward to finally showing off what I can do with the mind I’ve got in my pretty head.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> p.s. "Italian ladyfingers" is most definitely a double entendre


End file.
